Transmigration Of An Assassin

Preparing

Fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye. Tang Shushui and Bai Feng Ju met up at the boutique Every report arrived the same. Wang Jin left court at the same hour, stopped by the same bookstore every fifth day, bought a small box of osmanthus cakes, exchanged a few words with familiar shopkeepers, then returned home before dusk. There were no strange meetings, no hidden letters, no unfamiliar women approaching him. His routine was so clean that it almost seemed rehearsed. After reading through the latest report, Bai Fengju finally set the papers down with a sigh.

"I think we were wrong."

Tang Shushui looked up but remained silent.

"We've had men on him for half a month," she continued. "If he were hiding another woman, we should have found something by now. Even the most careful man makes mistakes." She pushed the stack of reports toward him. "But Wang Jin hasn't."

For the first time since they began watching him, even Bai Fengju started doubting Tang Shushui's judgment. Perhaps Wang Jin truly wasn't hiding anything. Perhaps they should stop wasting time on this and move to the second part of the plan instead.

Tang Shushui didn't answer immediately. Instead, he quietly spread every report across the table. He wasn't reading them from beginning to end. His eyes moved across the dates instead, once, then twice, before his fingers finally stopped on three separate reports.

"...Again."

Bai Fengju frowned. "What is it?"

Tang Shushui slid the papers toward her. "Read only the fifth days."

She lowered her head. The first report read: Lord Wang passed through Willow Alley before returning home. The second: Lord Wang again passed through Willow Alley before returning home. The third: Lord Wang entered Willow Alley briefly before continuing toward the Wang residence.

She looked up. "...Willow Alley?"

Tang Shushui nodded once. "Every fifth day."

The room fell quiet. At first glance, it seemed meaningless. If anything, it only proved how ordinary Wang Jin's routine was. Passing through the same street every few days was hardly worth mentioning. But Tang Shushui had never believed in meaningless repetition. He turned toward one of the men he had hired.

"What's in Willow Alley?"

The man thought for a moment before answering. "Nothing important, Young Master. A few old courtyards. Mostly widows. A few elderly people. The alley itself is quiet. There aren't many visitors."

Tang Shushui lowered his gaze to the reports again. "If it's only widows and old people..." He paused before finishing quietly, "...then why does Wang Jin pass through it every fifth day?"

No one answered because no one could.

After a long silence, Tang Shushui slowly folded the report and placed it aside. "Stop following Wang Jin."

Bai Fengju's brows drew together in surprise. "Stop?"

"Our men have spent fifteen days watching him and found nothing."

Tang Shushui nodded. "Exactly."

He rested a hand on the reports spread across the table. "Wang Jin is too careful. A man capable of hiding something for years won't suddenly become careless because we've watched him for two weeks. If we continue following him, sooner or later he'll notice."

"Then what do we do?" Bai Fengju asked.

Tang Shushui reached for the map of the capital lying nearby and laid a finger gently against one narrow alley. "We stop watching the man and start watching the place."